Electric, Environmental section make flying liveable

Published April 24, 2012
By Brannen Parrish
931st Air Refueling Group Public Affairs

MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- Most airplane passengers usually don't think much about the heating and cooling system on an airplane until those systems don't work. The total force initiative Electric and Environmental sections of the 22nd and 931st Maintenance Squadrons ensure KC-135 Stratotankers are adequately heated and cooled, and ensure electrical and emergency life support systems are working properly.

By the time a KC-135 Stratotanker reaches an altitude of 1,000 feet; the outside air temperature has fallen by 35 degrees Fahrenheit. By the time the aircraft reaches 5,000 feet, the altitude at which the aircraft pressurizes, the temperature has fallen approximately 50 degrees and at cruising altitude of 30,000 feet outside air temperature has dropped more than 140 degrees.

"It's cold up there," said Lt. Col. Travis Clark, Chief of Flight Safety, 931st Air Refueling Group. "It gets uncomfortable very quickly if the heating system goes out."

At such extreme temperatures, the importance of a working heat system becomes apparent almost immediately, and it's not like the crew can plug in a space heater.

"The heat in the aircraft is supplied by air from the engines," said Staff Sgt. Joshua Lacey, electrical and environmental technician, 22nd MXS. "It can be operated from a switch in the aircraft and is like the vent in your car."

As cold air passes through the engines, it is quickly heated. A switch inside the aircraft allows the crew to tap into the warmed air and heat the cabin.

The Electrical and Environmental Systems section also ensures all electrical systems are properly working. Their work ensures the engines and windows of the aircraft don't ice over from below freezing outside air.

The front windows of the KC-135 are installed with a heating element that is warmed when electrical currents pass through. The element prevents icing and fogging.

"It's similar to the rear defroster in your car," said Tech. Sgt. Nick Klenke, electrical and environmental technician, 931st MXS.

When an aircraft has an electrical issue, EE Airmen troubleshoot the problem to the fault.
"Troubleshooting can be the most difficult aspect of our job because you may run into a problem and it's like 'now it works; now it doesn't,'" Klenke said.

In addition, to ensuring the aircraft's electrical systems are operating properly, the EE section maintain and monitor the plane's backup oxygen system, keeping the plane outfitted with eight, large oxygen tanks.

The tanks supply the oxygen should the plane lose cabin pressure.
"We make sure the tanks and regulators are working properly through regular inspections," said Lacey. "If you can't breathe, you can't fly."